There are maidens and there are wolves,
And then there are the rescuers.
Big, burly, brave,
They burst in, uncalled,
Unasked,
Dragging with them death,
In bloody trails.

But the forest is old,
I, older still.
I have walked these paths,
Known each tree,
Known each beast,
And held their magic,
In me.

Know hunter, when you kill,
And spill life,
I am watching,
Waiting,
For you to burst in again,
Unannounced.

My grandmother and I,
We are readying a feast,
Wolf is by the hearth,
The fireplace warm,
Outside storm clouds gather.

You are lost, hunter,
Tired you drag
Feet weary and hands blistered,
Fingers caked in mud and blood,
You seek us.

In a lone cottage,
A welcoming light shines.
Inside two women and one wolf,
Ancient and endless,
Wait.

Wait, hunter,
For you.